Ancaster pre-school is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted

Published: 14:16, 20 November 2015

Staff and children at Ancaster Pre-school have been busy celebrating following the recent success of its Ofsted report, which rated it ‘outstanding’.

The inspection which took place in September, rated the pre-school in all areas as ‘outstanding’, including the effectiveness of the leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, personal development, behaviour and welfare, and outcomes for children.

Staff member at Ancaster Pre-school, Karen Crawford said: “The staff and committee work extremely hard to ensure that they provide the best that they can for all children and are delighted that this has been recognised by Ofsted.”

Key findings of the report included the pre-school’s ‘strong leadership’, which Ofsted noted as ‘continuous improvement and impressive progress in children’s development relative to their starting points, especially in the areas of communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development.’

The report also contained a lot of praise for the staff - recognising the team’s ‘high expectations’, stating: “The committee and staff team have high expectations. Staff provide children with clear guidelines of acceptable behaviour. Therefore, children confidently self-regulate their behaviour and willingly support one another. Children are highly motivated to learn as a result of their secure attachments with staff members.”

Feedback from the parents of the school also proved positive, with the report stating: “Parents are very positive about the pre-school. They are kept informed about the progress of their children and are given information and ideas to support learning within the home. This highly effective partnership working contributes significantly towards children’s excellent progress.”

Mealtimes at the school also received praise, with the report recognising that, ‘children are extremely confident and animated at mealtimes. They follow highly effective care routines that increase their levels of independence and promote their self-help skills.’

The report suggested as an area of improvement to ‘develop further innovative mark-marking opportunities to sustain the engagement of all children, helping them communicate using symbols and marks that are meaningful.’

Ancaster Pre-school is run from the parish hall. Funded places are available for children aged from two to four. Call 07814 819137 for further information or visit www.ancaster-playgroup.co.uk